Status: Waiting for upload(approved by Colonel_M). After consise is done.
[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1] http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/donphan
[/SIZE][OVERVIEW]
<p>Donphan makes a fine Rapid Spinner in the OU environment as it is able to switch in on many common physical attackers and remove the opponent's entry hazards with Rapid Spin, while taking only small amounts of damage in the process. The lack of a reliable recovery move and a low Special Defense stat is disheartening, as Donphan has great HP, Attack, and Defense stats which it can put to good use. Ghost-types that attempt to block Rapid Spin are not a huge problem for Donphan as it can hit them with Assurance.</p>[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE][SET]
name: Rapid Spin Support
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Assurance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Shard / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 188 Atk / 68 Def
[Set Comments]
<p>Donphan has a great support movepool, including Rapid Spin, which is vital for removing entry hazards that damage your teammates. Donphan's resistance to Stealth Rock means it will take a pitiful 6.25% damage upon switching in. Its great HP and Defense stats allow Donphan to take physical hits reasonably well, while its huge Attack stat allows it to dish out powerful hits simultaniously. Opponents such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Scizor are unable to do large amounts of damage to Donphan, making it a fine choice to remove entry hazards from the field.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Donphan's most powerful STAB move, which allows it to hit Lucario and Metagross super effectively. Assurance is listed in the third slot as it allows Donphan to hit Ghost-types, particularly Rotom-A, for super effective damage. Stealth Rock breaks any Focus Sash the opponent holds and also weakens your opponent's team upon switching in. Ice Shard hits weakened Dragon-types such as Salamence and Latias, the former having a 4x weakness to the move. Roar is helpful to shuffle your opponent's team.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs give Donphan the maximum defensive capability while keeping its offensive power. 252 HP EVs gives it a number that is divisible by 16, which is a perfect Leftovers recovery number. 188 Attack EVs will allow Donphan to OHKO standard Choice Scarf Rotom-A with Assurance after taking Stealth Rock damage, while being able to 2HKO most standard defensive versions. The remaining EVs are placed into Defense to give Donphan greater tanking ability. Using 44 Speed EVs is an option if you would like to outspeed Relaxed Swampert before it can use Ice Beam, or Calm Blissey before she has a chance to use Wish.</p>
<p>Donphan has a hard time dealing with bulky Water- and Grass-types who carry special-based moves, such as Suicune and Celebi, respectively. For these reasons, Blissey makes an excellent partner for this set as she can switch in on almost every special-based move in the game with little trouble. She has the added bonus of learning Thunder Wave, which can help compensate for Donphan's pitiful Speed stat.</p>
<p>Another great partner for Donphan is Latias. With her high Special Defense stat and resistance to Water- and Grass-type moves, you will find yourself switching her in regularly; this is helped by Donphan's ability to remove entry hazards from the field. The threat of Draco Meteor will inevitably cause switches, so Stealth Rock of your own is recommended.</p>
<p>Heatran is useful as a partner as Rotom Appliances are common. They are able to switch in on Donphan's attempts to Rapid Spin or Earthquake while threatening it with Will-O-Wisp or Tricking it a Choice item. Heatran takes advantage of both of these conditions, netting a Flash Fire boost from Will-O-Wisp and having no fear of Choice items as it usually carries its own. Unable to do great amounts of damage to Heatran, Rotom Appliances are forced to switch out, or face a boosted Fire Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / Ice Shard
move 3: Assurance
move 4: Rapid Spin / Seed Bomb
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Unlike the set above, this takes advantage of Donphan's base 120 Attack stat and high powered STAB move. Even without any investment into the Defense stat, Donphan is still difficult to take down. When played offensively, Donphan is able to damage some of OU's most dangerous threats such as Tyranitar, Swampert, and Metagross. This set provides the best possible type coverage, as nothing resists the combination of Earthquake, Stone Edge and Assurance.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Donphan's most powerful move. With 100 Base Power and a STAB boost, it will be putting a huge dent into anything that doesn't resist it. The second move, Stone Edge, hits Flying-types who are immune to Earthquake. Stone Edge will always 2HKO the standard bulky Gyarados even without taking damage from Stealth Rock. Ice Shard allows Donphan to hit Salamence and Latias for super effective damage, the former having a 4x weakness to it. Assurance allows Donphan to hit Ghost-types who expect you to be using Rapid Spin. Rapid Spin is helpful to rid the field of entry hazards, while Seed Bomb allows Donphan to OHKO the most defensive Swampert.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Max Attack EVs are a must for any offensive Pokemon, and this is no different in Donphan's case. 84 Speed EVs allow Donphan to outrun all neutral natured base 60 Pokemon with no Speed investment, notable ones being Swampert and Blissey. The remaining EVs are placed into HP for Donphan to retain its natural bulk. An alternate EV spread for Donphan is 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe, which allows it to outspeed all Choice Band Tyranitar that run 96 Speed EVs and OHKO them with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Due to its offensive nature, this set will encounter problems with Pokemon who resist Earthquake and have high Defense stats; Bronzong and Skarmory are some of the most difficult to handle. Both of these threats can be handled by Heatran, as its STAB Fire-type moves make short work of both. Heatran also has the added bonus of being able to switch into Ice- and Grass-type moves aimed at Donphan.</p>
<p>The Rotom Appliances may cause this set problems, although Assurance hits them for super effective damage. However, the fear of being burned by Will-O-Wisp will make Donphan think twice about staying in. Heatran deserves another mention here as it is able to switch into Will-O-Wisp, even Trick with little to no fear, and doesn't take significant damage from Rotom-A's attacks.</p>
<p>Donphan can use the effects of Gravity to its advantage, as Earthquake will hit Flying-types and Pokemon with the Levitate ability like Gengar and Rotom-A, while only being resisted by Heracross, Celebi, and Breloom. Jirachi and Bronzong are great choices as they are able to switch into commonly used Ice-type moves as well as the less common Grass-type moves fired at Donphan.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>As Donphan doesn't have access to a reliable recovery move, Wish support is recommended to increase its survivability. Vaporeon and Latias are fine users of the move as they are able to switch in on Donphan's weaknesses with their great defensive stats while being able to cripple your opponent with moves such as Toxic and Trick, respectively. Vaporeon also has the useful ability Water
<p>Anyone with a special-based Ice-, Grass-, or Water-type move will cause problems for Donphan. The best way to counter this is to have a dedicated special wall such as Blissey; with her whopping base 255 HP stat she is able to switch in on these moves and take little damage. Blissey has a vast support movepool which she can use to hinder the opponent's team for Donphan to shine. Thunder Wave can cripple fast sweepers such as Gengar so Donphan can outrun and damage them, while Toxic is able to wear down the bulky walls that Donphan hates such as Vaporeon and Suicune.</p>
<p>Heatran is a great option to use in conjunction with Donphan as it is able to switch in on Grass- and Ice-type moves aimed at Donphan with ease and can cause large amounts of damage with Fire Blast. Heatran has another advantage paired with Donphan as it is able to switch in on Absorb, being able to switch in on Pokemon such as Suicune and recover a quarter of its health.</p> the Rotom Appliances with little trouble, making Will-O-Wisp useless with its Flash Fire ability, and being Tricked a Choice item doesn't hinder it in the slightest. After switching into Will-O-Wisp, Heatran's Fire Blast will be a powerful force which shouldn't be taken lightly. Steel-types who wall the Choice Band set, such as Skarmory and Bronzong, take immense damage from Fire Blast, the former facing an OHKO 100% of the time while the latter taking a minimum of 85% when running the Standard Wall set.</p>
<p>Another option to pair with Donphan is Latias; with her high Special Defense and decent HP stats she is able to switch in on Grass- and Water-type moves with little trouble and threaten the users of such moves with Hidden Power Fire and Thunderbolt, respectively. Latias is able to provide Wish support for Donphan as Donphan is unable to recover its own health without the use of Rest and Sleep Talk, and Wish is also handy for supporting the rest of your teammates. Latias may choose to use Light Screen, aiding Donphan's pitiful Special Defense stat and allowing it to take neutral special hits much better.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Surprisingly, Donphan has a pretty good movepool with numerous options. Charm is a great option to soften physical hits even further, but it is unreliable against opponents such as Metagross and Gliscor with Clear Body and Hyper Cutter, respectively. Body Slam can be utilized on either set as the chance to paralyze the opponent could be helpful with Donphan's awful Speed stat. Counter could be a devaistating surprise for an opponent who thinks they can take out Donphan with boosted attacks, although there is rarely a free moveslot for such a move. A set based around Rock Polish could be used, but Donphan is outclassed by Rhyperior as it doesn't get secondary STAB when using Stone Edge. Fire Fang is an option if you have a weakness to Scizor, but Earthquake does more than enough damage to take care of it. Being Donphan's only way to recover its health, Rest and Sleep Talk are usable if you are desperate enough to use it, although the unreliability of Sleep Talk alongside Earthquake could prove disastrous. Finally, Odor Sleuth is a great option as it allows you to temporarily remove a Ghost-type's immunity to Rapid Spin, allowing you to remove any entry hazards with success.</p>
[Counters]
<p>As most Donphan you will encounter are Rapid Spinners, Ghost-types such as Dusknoir and Rotom-A cause problems for it. Both of them have access to Will-O-Wisp which can burn Donphan, making its physical moves worthless. Dusknoir and Rotom-A can also block any attempt to use Rapid Spin, while Rotom-A is immune to Earthquake with its Levitate ability.</p>
<p>Steel-types immune to Earthquake can wall Donphan, forcing it to switch out or use a weaker alternative move. Bronzong and Skarmory both do a fine job at this, as Bronzong is able to put it to sleep with Hypnosis or in Skarmory's case, use Whirlwind to remove it from the field.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Suicune make excellent counters to Donphan as they take little damage from Eathquake and are able to recover their health with Wish or Rest. Both of these Pokemon can also hit Donphan super effectively with STAB Surf. Suicune's huge HP and Defense stats allow it to survive Earthquake and boost its special stats with Calm Mind.</p>
<p>You should take advantage of Donphan's low Special Defense stat and destroy it with special-based Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type moves. Anything with one of the aformentioned moves that can outspeed Donphan is able to KO it with little worry.</p>
[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE]
[SIZE=+1] http://www.smogon.com/dp/pokemon/donphan
[/SIZE][OVERVIEW]
<p>Donphan makes a fine Rapid Spinner in the OU environment as it is able to switch in on many common physical attackers and remove the opponent's entry hazards with Rapid Spin, while taking only small amounts of damage in the process. The lack of a reliable recovery move and a low Special Defense stat is disheartening, as Donphan has great HP, Attack, and Defense stats which it can put to good use. Ghost-types that attempt to block Rapid Spin are not a huge problem for Donphan as it can hit them with Assurance.</p>[SIZE=+1]
[/SIZE][SET]
name: Rapid Spin Support
move 1: Rapid Spin
move 2: Earthquake
move 3: Assurance
move 4: Stealth Rock / Ice Shard / Roar
item: Leftovers
nature: Adamant
evs: 252 HP / 188 Atk / 68 Def
[Set Comments]
<p>Donphan has a great support movepool, including Rapid Spin, which is vital for removing entry hazards that damage your teammates. Donphan's resistance to Stealth Rock means it will take a pitiful 6.25% damage upon switching in. Its great HP and Defense stats allow Donphan to take physical hits reasonably well, while its huge Attack stat allows it to dish out powerful hits simultaniously. Opponents such as Tyranitar, Metagross, and Scizor are unable to do large amounts of damage to Donphan, making it a fine choice to remove entry hazards from the field.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Donphan's most powerful STAB move, which allows it to hit Lucario and Metagross super effectively. Assurance is listed in the third slot as it allows Donphan to hit Ghost-types, particularly Rotom-A, for super effective damage. Stealth Rock breaks any Focus Sash the opponent holds and also weakens your opponent's team upon switching in. Ice Shard hits weakened Dragon-types such as Salamence and Latias, the former having a 4x weakness to the move. Roar is helpful to shuffle your opponent's team.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>The EVs give Donphan the maximum defensive capability while keeping its offensive power. 252 HP EVs gives it a number that is divisible by 16, which is a perfect Leftovers recovery number. 188 Attack EVs will allow Donphan to OHKO standard Choice Scarf Rotom-A with Assurance after taking Stealth Rock damage, while being able to 2HKO most standard defensive versions. The remaining EVs are placed into Defense to give Donphan greater tanking ability. Using 44 Speed EVs is an option if you would like to outspeed Relaxed Swampert before it can use Ice Beam, or Calm Blissey before she has a chance to use Wish.</p>
<p>Donphan has a hard time dealing with bulky Water- and Grass-types who carry special-based moves, such as Suicune and Celebi, respectively. For these reasons, Blissey makes an excellent partner for this set as she can switch in on almost every special-based move in the game with little trouble. She has the added bonus of learning Thunder Wave, which can help compensate for Donphan's pitiful Speed stat.</p>
<p>Another great partner for Donphan is Latias. With her high Special Defense stat and resistance to Water- and Grass-type moves, you will find yourself switching her in regularly; this is helped by Donphan's ability to remove entry hazards from the field. The threat of Draco Meteor will inevitably cause switches, so Stealth Rock of your own is recommended.</p>
<p>Heatran is useful as a partner as Rotom Appliances are common. They are able to switch in on Donphan's attempts to Rapid Spin or Earthquake while threatening it with Will-O-Wisp or Tricking it a Choice item. Heatran takes advantage of both of these conditions, netting a Flash Fire boost from Will-O-Wisp and having no fear of Choice items as it usually carries its own. Unable to do great amounts of damage to Heatran, Rotom Appliances are forced to switch out, or face a boosted Fire Blast.</p>
[SET]
name: Choice Band
move 1: Earthquake
move 2: Stone Edge / Ice Shard
move 3: Assurance
move 4: Rapid Spin / Seed Bomb
item: Choice Band
nature: Adamant
evs: 172 HP / 252 Atk / 84 Spe
[Set Comments]
<p>Unlike the set above, this takes advantage of Donphan's base 120 Attack stat and high powered STAB move. Even without any investment into the Defense stat, Donphan is still difficult to take down. When played offensively, Donphan is able to damage some of OU's most dangerous threats such as Tyranitar, Swampert, and Metagross. This set provides the best possible type coverage, as nothing resists the combination of Earthquake, Stone Edge and Assurance.</p>
<p>Earthquake is Donphan's most powerful move. With 100 Base Power and a STAB boost, it will be putting a huge dent into anything that doesn't resist it. The second move, Stone Edge, hits Flying-types who are immune to Earthquake. Stone Edge will always 2HKO the standard bulky Gyarados even without taking damage from Stealth Rock. Ice Shard allows Donphan to hit Salamence and Latias for super effective damage, the former having a 4x weakness to it. Assurance allows Donphan to hit Ghost-types who expect you to be using Rapid Spin. Rapid Spin is helpful to rid the field of entry hazards, while Seed Bomb allows Donphan to OHKO the most defensive Swampert.</p>
[Additional Comments]
<p>Max Attack EVs are a must for any offensive Pokemon, and this is no different in Donphan's case. 84 Speed EVs allow Donphan to outrun all neutral natured base 60 Pokemon with no Speed investment, notable ones being Swampert and Blissey. The remaining EVs are placed into HP for Donphan to retain its natural bulk. An alternate EV spread for Donphan is 68 HP / 252 Atk / 188 Spe, which allows it to outspeed all Choice Band Tyranitar that run 96 Speed EVs and OHKO them with Earthquake.</p>
<p>Due to its offensive nature, this set will encounter problems with Pokemon who resist Earthquake and have high Defense stats; Bronzong and Skarmory are some of the most difficult to handle. Both of these threats can be handled by Heatran, as its STAB Fire-type moves make short work of both. Heatran also has the added bonus of being able to switch into Ice- and Grass-type moves aimed at Donphan.</p>
<p>The Rotom Appliances may cause this set problems, although Assurance hits them for super effective damage. However, the fear of being burned by Will-O-Wisp will make Donphan think twice about staying in. Heatran deserves another mention here as it is able to switch into Will-O-Wisp, even Trick with little to no fear, and doesn't take significant damage from Rotom-A's attacks.</p>
<p>Donphan can use the effects of Gravity to its advantage, as Earthquake will hit Flying-types and Pokemon with the Levitate ability like Gengar and Rotom-A, while only being resisted by Heracross, Celebi, and Breloom. Jirachi and Bronzong are great choices as they are able to switch into commonly used Ice-type moves as well as the less common Grass-type moves fired at Donphan.</p>
[Team Options]
<p>As Donphan doesn't have access to a reliable recovery move, Wish support is recommended to increase its survivability. Vaporeon and Latias are fine users of the move as they are able to switch in on Donphan's weaknesses with their great defensive stats while being able to cripple your opponent with moves such as Toxic and Trick, respectively. Vaporeon also has the useful ability Water
<p>Anyone with a special-based Ice-, Grass-, or Water-type move will cause problems for Donphan. The best way to counter this is to have a dedicated special wall such as Blissey; with her whopping base 255 HP stat she is able to switch in on these moves and take little damage. Blissey has a vast support movepool which she can use to hinder the opponent's team for Donphan to shine. Thunder Wave can cripple fast sweepers such as Gengar so Donphan can outrun and damage them, while Toxic is able to wear down the bulky walls that Donphan hates such as Vaporeon and Suicune.</p>
<p>Heatran is a great option to use in conjunction with Donphan as it is able to switch in on Grass- and Ice-type moves aimed at Donphan with ease and can cause large amounts of damage with Fire Blast. Heatran has another advantage paired with Donphan as it is able to switch in on Absorb, being able to switch in on Pokemon such as Suicune and recover a quarter of its health.</p> the Rotom Appliances with little trouble, making Will-O-Wisp useless with its Flash Fire ability, and being Tricked a Choice item doesn't hinder it in the slightest. After switching into Will-O-Wisp, Heatran's Fire Blast will be a powerful force which shouldn't be taken lightly. Steel-types who wall the Choice Band set, such as Skarmory and Bronzong, take immense damage from Fire Blast, the former facing an OHKO 100% of the time while the latter taking a minimum of 85% when running the Standard Wall set.</p>
<p>Another option to pair with Donphan is Latias; with her high Special Defense and decent HP stats she is able to switch in on Grass- and Water-type moves with little trouble and threaten the users of such moves with Hidden Power Fire and Thunderbolt, respectively. Latias is able to provide Wish support for Donphan as Donphan is unable to recover its own health without the use of Rest and Sleep Talk, and Wish is also handy for supporting the rest of your teammates. Latias may choose to use Light Screen, aiding Donphan's pitiful Special Defense stat and allowing it to take neutral special hits much better.</p>
[Optional Changes]
<p>Surprisingly, Donphan has a pretty good movepool with numerous options. Charm is a great option to soften physical hits even further, but it is unreliable against opponents such as Metagross and Gliscor with Clear Body and Hyper Cutter, respectively. Body Slam can be utilized on either set as the chance to paralyze the opponent could be helpful with Donphan's awful Speed stat. Counter could be a devaistating surprise for an opponent who thinks they can take out Donphan with boosted attacks, although there is rarely a free moveslot for such a move. A set based around Rock Polish could be used, but Donphan is outclassed by Rhyperior as it doesn't get secondary STAB when using Stone Edge. Fire Fang is an option if you have a weakness to Scizor, but Earthquake does more than enough damage to take care of it. Being Donphan's only way to recover its health, Rest and Sleep Talk are usable if you are desperate enough to use it, although the unreliability of Sleep Talk alongside Earthquake could prove disastrous. Finally, Odor Sleuth is a great option as it allows you to temporarily remove a Ghost-type's immunity to Rapid Spin, allowing you to remove any entry hazards with success.</p>
[Counters]
<p>As most Donphan you will encounter are Rapid Spinners, Ghost-types such as Dusknoir and Rotom-A cause problems for it. Both of them have access to Will-O-Wisp which can burn Donphan, making its physical moves worthless. Dusknoir and Rotom-A can also block any attempt to use Rapid Spin, while Rotom-A is immune to Earthquake with its Levitate ability.</p>
<p>Steel-types immune to Earthquake can wall Donphan, forcing it to switch out or use a weaker alternative move. Bronzong and Skarmory both do a fine job at this, as Bronzong is able to put it to sleep with Hypnosis or in Skarmory's case, use Whirlwind to remove it from the field.</p>
<p>Bulky Water-types like Vaporeon and Suicune make excellent counters to Donphan as they take little damage from Eathquake and are able to recover their health with Wish or Rest. Both of these Pokemon can also hit Donphan super effectively with STAB Surf. Suicune's huge HP and Defense stats allow it to survive Earthquake and boost its special stats with Calm Mind.</p>
<p>You should take advantage of Donphan's low Special Defense stat and destroy it with special-based Ice-, Grass-, and Water-type moves. Anything with one of the aformentioned moves that can outspeed Donphan is able to KO it with little worry.</p>
